audio set-up for beginners [continued]

[testament11]

Hmm, no budget on the seps? As a start, I would recommend the Cadence ZRS-6K due to its high sensitivity rating and excellent performance for LnC. This retails around the 6,000php. For sets more than that, you should start looking for raw drivers from Cadence, Beyma, and Ciare (by order of their average price tags).

For the head unit, it's up to you. Many will opt for a 2-DIN head unit from Pioneer such as the 4250/4350 and that would also be nice. If you're focusing more on the sound quality aspect, you might want to check secondhand units of Alpine 9887s which sells around the 10k region secondhand.

For the subwoofer, it really depends on your tastes. How loud do you want it to be? If you're looking of it more from the SPL side, you would focus on this. I would suggest you start with a 15" subwoofer from RE and get the biggest sized box you can find. If space is a premium on your car, going SPL is a bit impossible now so focus on the SQL/LnC aspect.

For the amplifier, you would only need two. A 4-channel and a mono amplifier. For the mono amplifier, you have more freedom on this really. I've heard a Sound Magus mono amp drive a monster 18" subwoofer to deafening levels. However, I would suggest the DC 120.4 and their mono amplifier. Very good amplifiers and you also have brand gravitas to go along with it.

For the sound deadening, you'll eventually know the cost of it once you start playing. Allocate around 5,000php for it since you'll be doing more than deadening the doors. I'm pretty sure your license plate at the back and some windows would start rattling due to the pressure level.

Thanks for that. Hindi kaya maging power hungry ang ganitong setup? I forgot to mention na 90A lang ang rating ng alternator ko, though I'm planning to change my alternator na to a higher rating dahil twice na siyang napapalitan ng rotor. Lastly, would you recommend SNY Customs for sound installation? Thanks!

[trucker111]

If you're in the North, walang problema ang Banawe:
Nogz of Candyshop
Vince of Maspro
Ryan of Dawg Audio
Nesty of Ginza Audio
Jimmy of Jetcar
Benedict of Perfect Circle
Marky of Quest Audio
Adrian of ADsound in Tandang Sora

These are all car audio shops that are really matagal na and they do their job well. Heck, Winterpine has been installing gears since before my brother was even born..

Jack of Fuzed Mobile Audio if near White Plains

If near Araneta Avenue corner Sta. Mesa, Jeff Tan of Araneta Car Accessories or Winterpine (dunno if they do installs but.. might as well ask. They're the official DLS distributor in the country)

Ano pa ba..

Alex of Autoline in Makati (near CSB/DLSU actually)
Alvin of PhatAudio in Binondo
Eric of SunX in Cubao
Jeff of JC Car Audio in San Juan
Rocky of Mach2Audio in Pasig
Mickey of Mickey's Autosound in Pasig
Jonz of Simplesouds in Antipolo

For those in the South,
RJ of RJ's Sound Elite in Paranaque
Adrian of Blueprint in Paranaque

Ones in bold are the big four car audio installers in Metro Manila

Re Alex of Autoline in Makati (near CSB/DLSU actually)..
is this the one in zobel roxas near caltex station?

[jhnkvn]

*testament

I wouldn't worry about the alternator as 90 amperes is still alot. If it would put your mind at ease, a friend of mine has a CivicFD that entered HIN Manila with a 3-way Beyma set plus 4 8" Sundown subwoofers on a ported box all powered by 4 DC amplifiers. ALL on a stock alternator (upgraded Stinger battery though) with no issues at all.

As for SNY Customs, wala ako feedback sa kanila eh. But I think they're good after visiting their FB page and website naman. Bloody, Sgt. Rivera lang pala sila.. that's pretty close to me. Maybe I should visit them haha..

*trucker

Yes. But if memory serves right, the one in Estrella Street in Makati is still more focused on ICE installations while the one in Malate is more of performance needs. But yes.. it's the one in Zobel Roxas.

[glenn manikis]

sir jhnkvn.... COMMent naman po sa ampli na AM1850 800 RMS MONO CLASS D, AM4100 MID/HIGH, AT AM480 MID/HIGH.... at 4.4K, 3.7K and 3.5k respectively... naka try na po ba kayo nito?

[jhnkvn]

Nope, I haven't tried nor listened to Lightning Lab amplifiers hence I would refrain from commenting about them.

[garygallardo]

Sir jhnkvn

ok po ba ito para sa monterosport

seps: Focal Polyglass 165 VB
amp: Rockford Fosgate Punch P400-4
rear: stock
sub: ??? Di ko pa alam kung ano ang puwede. Medyo kailaingan ko kasi iyong space sa likod.

[jhnkvn]

Who'll be your installer, gary?

Okay naman ako sa speakers. However, the Polyglass lineup has already been phased out as of 2012. The new Focal lineup is the Integration, Performance, K2P, and the Utopias of which the Performance lineup is the direct successor and still uses the glass membrane. Unless shops are giving you a steep discount for it, I would simply go for the Focal PS165 which should be cheaper and also newer.

As for the amplifier, Rockford Fosgate is a solid company but I find their pricing too steep nowadays. I'm also not too fond of 50W * 4ohms and most will find that lacking. I would rather go get the highest nominal RMS you can find at these prices. However, if you want an amplifier that wouldn't give you any headaches, go for it. Mickey Pascual of Mickeys Autosound loves the RF due to that fact alone... lowest defective return rate compared to other brands for him ;)

Considering the budget, try looking at Sonus Enigmas, Sands Davids, Powerbass ASA, and the DC 120.4. Other brands you should also consider is entry-level DLS amplifiers such as the CA41 and CA31. Among these all, I'd give the Sonus Engimas (100x4) a healthy recommendation. All of these recommendations are priced 15k and below at SRP prices.

As for the subwoofer, ask for your installer's opinion regarding it. Tell him you need the space at that back and get his feedback on that. There are many ways on how to tackle this from making a "creative" sub box, using a small bass driver, or simply using shallow-mount subs.

[garygallardo]

I have no installer right now...

I'm planning to buy these parts from the US. The Focal PS 165 locally is almost the same price as the Focal Polyglass 165 VB in the US. So I might just get that Focal PS 165 locally. I checked the price of the Powerbass ASA600.4x and it is priced at $149. Is that a reasonable price?

[garygallardo]

Also I'll be using the stock 2 DIN AVT. Would the installer be able to produce a good sound from the stock HU?

[jhnkvn]

If you're sourcing from the US, you have a more broader choice of amplifiers. You don't find the Sands nor the Sonus in the US with the former a Thai brand and the latter the project child of two of the biggest car audio shops in the Philippines (BluePrint and JC).

Due to the strong peso, I understand that most products seems cheap when buying from the US. However, take into account the shipping expense too. For the Powerbass, it seems pretty good as SRP in the Philippines is around 13k. Actually, everything I suggested on the earlier post has a budget of 10-15k. From the recommendation, I like Sonus is because it performs handsomely for its price reason for this is because it doesn't have any marketing expense to shoulder and 100x4 is excellent as far as RMS ratings are concerned.

To be frank, to get good sound. You'll need to change your head unit to something that offers more tuning features. If not, an external processor will suffice. Of course, that's my own "perception" of good sound. Try installing them all first then buying a processor afterwards if you want more.

[jhnkvn]

Sorry, dami grammar typos last post >.< I simply noticed it after rereading it.

[ecneret]

If you're sourcing from the US, you have a more broader choice of amplifiers. You don't find the Sands nor the Sonus in the US with the former a Thai brand and the latter the project child of two of the biggest car audio shops in the Philippines (BluePrint and JC).

Due to the strong peso, I understand that most products seems cheap when buying from the US. However, take into account the shipping expense too. For the Powerbass, it seems pretty good as SRP in the Philippines is around 13k. Actually, everything I suggested on the earlier post has a budget of 10-15k. From the recommendation, I like Sonus is because it performs handsomely for its price reason for this is because it doesn't have any marketing expense to shoulder and 100x4 is excellent as far as RMS ratings are concerned.

To be frank, to get good sound. You'll need to change your head unit to something that offers more tuning features. If not, an external processor will suffice. Of course, that's my own "perception" of good sound. Try installing them all first then buying a processor afterwards if you want more.

+1 kay sir jhnkvn, big factor din ang may magandang HU. then add na lang ng ext. processor pag di satisfied. pero kung may makuha ka na HU w/ processor (P99rs), much better.

[yvesjae]

sirs, i'm planning to go with this SQ setup:

seps: morel maximo 6.5
sub: rf punch 10" subwoofer p1s4-10
amp: massive nx4
sealed box

i listen mostly to hard rock and heavy metal that is why i chose a 10" sub.

any suggestions/recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

[jhnkvn]

SQ is heavily dependent on your head unit's capability to process and tune. Which head unit will you be using?

As for the subwoofer, I'd go for a 12-inch unit if space isn't an issue for you. The increase in area will allow your sub to dig deeper while limiting excursion and distortion caused by it.

[boogielloyd]

sir/s,

im planning to replace the stock speakers of my montero. according dun sa mga nakausap ko try ko daw ung DLS RS6N, ask ko lang ano ba difference nya sa DLS RS6A? which is better in terms of sound quality?
Any other suggestions?

thanks in advance!

[jhnkvn]

sir/s,

im planning to replace the stock speakers of my montero. according dun sa mga nakausap ko try ko daw ung DLS RS6N, ask ko lang ano ba difference nya sa DLS RS6A? which is better in terms of sound quality?
Any other suggestions?

thanks in advance!

I'm not sure of DLS lineup but I think same lang sila. After checking the net of pictures of both the RS6N (official DLS website) and RS6A (some other website) same lang picture nila and specifications hence I would conclude na same lang sila.

[boogielloyd]

I'm not sure of DLS lineup but I think same lang sila. After checking the net of pictures of both the RS6N (official DLS website) and RS6A (some other website) same lang picture nila and specifications hence I would conclude na same lang sila.

Thanks a lot sir for the reply. By the way, any other suggestions? Kasi not really planning to have a full setup, initial plan was to change lang ung stock speakers with separates and coaxial sa 2nd row since medyo maliit din ung budget ko.
And i want sana a descent sound quality for my ride. Nag inquire ako sa isang seller and he suggested to use the following: front - jbl gt5-650c, subs-jbl gt5-12, amp lighting lab 80x4, mdf box, wires, labor + reverse cam w/ night vision(i think magiging useful din naman) for 15k .

Ok na ba to sir for the price and as a good upgrade from the stocks, i really want a good sound quality. Actually medyo alanganin ako sa subwoofer kasi macocompromise ung space w/c is the sole reason why i upgraded my ride into an SUV. Sabi kasi nung iba sayang daw kung di ako magpapalagay ng subs. I will really appreciate any suggestions from you sir. thanks in advance.

[hivemind]

^ you can probably get yung self-powered AMP + Sub system to conserve space. meron yung pwedeng ilagay sa ilalim ng upuan, slim type AMP + Sub siya. i just don't know about sound quality it can put out though.

Or, you can get this >>> JBL Bass Pro II sa sulit. ID is 5527206. paste mo na lang yung ID sa sulit search.

it's perfect for SUVs and cars that have access to the hatch.

for transparency, ako yung nagbebenta niyan haha! it was my previous set up and has served me well until i had the itch to upgrade. i can still lower the price kung kakayanin naman.

[boogielloyd]

^ you can probably get yung self-powered AMP + Sub system to conserve space. meron yung pwedeng ilagay sa ilalim ng upuan, slim type AMP + Sub siya. i just don't know about sound quality it can put out though.

Or, you can get this >>> JBL Bass Pro II sa sulit. ID is 5527206. paste mo na lang yung ID sa sulit search.

it's perfect for SUVs and cars that have access to the hatch.

for transparency, ako yung nagbebenta niyan haha! it was my previous set up and has served me well until i had the itch to upgrade. i can still lower the price kung kakayanin naman.

hehe. will check it sir and will let you know thanks

[jhnkvn]

I wouldn't also suggest a full-setup but rather to upgrade bit-by-bit so that you can fully realize the difference each upgrade takes. Also, sound is subjective.. so your "decent" quality is different from my perspective of decent. Thing with sound quality is that people's standard is that on what they have heard... it's like buying a TV, a 32-inch might seem big now.. but once you've tasted an 80-incher Plasma, naliliitan ka na sa 32".

1) First I would do is to to swap the stock speakers immediately. Alot of MS owners do this straight out of the CASA due to the abysmal stock speakers I'm told start with the front speakers (where you're usually the driver) and leave the back.. stock. At the same time, deaden the doors so that you maximize your midbass potential. As a side advantage, you'll feel a solid "thunk" everytime you close the door (kinda like those premium cars like Mercs) at the expense of additional weight (hence gas)

2) Throw in an amplifier

3) Throw in a subwoofer

This is a standard procedure in car audio upgrading for most people. If you plan on upgrading everything all in one go, feel free. But if you're griped with financials, follow these steps. Personally if I were serious with car audio, I would invest in a good head unit. But 95% of Monty owners wouldn't want replacing their stock head unit so I didn't mention it here anymore.

You need not compromise on space really but you'd have to use some creative placing on the subwoofer. "Iba ba kung may sub?", for most people yes. But given a good speaker set, you don't really need to. I've heard systems that sound like there's a subwoofer but in fact there isn't. Then again, these are a hundred grand speakers we're talking about. Personally, yes. Get a subwoofer since it adds that "oomph" in the low-end.. and as with 80% of the population, we all love bass.